Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Sweet comfort: marble cake

As simple as it is, the appeal of the marble cake probably goes back to it being a childhood cooking memory. I do not like marble cakes made in all kinds of strange colours. I make mine with a mixture of plain vanilla and chocolate. Actually it is not my recipe - I use this one, from BBC GoodFood.

Heat oven to 180C/gas 160C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper. If you want to make life easy, simply put all the ingredients (except the cocoa powder) into a food processor and whizz for 1-2 mins until smooth. If you prefer to mix by hand, beat the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fold through the flour, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.

Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa powder into the mixture in one of the bowls. Take 2 spoons and use them to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixes into the tin alternately. When all the mixture has been used up (and if young kids are doing this, you’ll need to ensure the base of the tin is fairly evenly covered), tap the bottom on your work surface to ensure that there aren’t any air bubbles. Take a skewer and swirl it around the mixture in the tin a few times to create a marbled effect.

Bake the cake for 45-55 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.

2 comments:

for my self, i don't use whole eggs but yellow, first, one by one, and the white eggs in "snow" we say in french, 1 or 2 spoons first, and then all, very carfully, to avoid broken the little air bubbles -it is before putting in two bowls, with cocoa in one

Welcome!

I am many things, depending on who you ask. Mother of two school-going kids. Wife of CSI-ing forensic scientist. Nerdy academic. Permanent day dreamer. Lover of nature. Learner of photography. Seeker of patience. Celebrator of simple joys.

And always, always, obsessed with food.

One of the things that bring me joy is cooking - especially, cooking wholesome meals to share with the people I love.

This little space is my culinary photo journal - a way of documenting my eternal obsession with food and sharing some of my recipes.

Enjoy your visit!

Common spices in my kitchen

My Kind of Food

My pantry is filled with a vast range of spices and these I use to tweak almost every recipe to make it uniquely mine. A spoonful of mustard and a dash of chilli powder add oomph to a basic mac and cheese. A sprinkling of whole cumin seeds into beaten eggs make a great addition to omelettes. A cup of tea isn't complete without a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a couple of bruised cardamom pods.

I aim to cook simple, wholesome meals most of the time, with a few decadent treats added in to keep things interesting.

Spices can be fiery or fragrant

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